Gautam Gambhir has already announced that the “blueprint” for the 2027 World Cup in South Africa will be ready after IPL 2026.
This will ensure almost 18 months of focused preparation once the core group of players are identified. The head coach is understood to be keen on selecting players specifically suited for the bouncy wickets in South Africa once the IPL gets over.
The Shubman Gill-led team is expected to play close to 20 ODIs this year, starting with a three-match series against Afghanistan in June.
Gambhir and chief selector Ajit Agarkar will work in tandem to choose the players. While most of the players select themselves, the team management is keen on trying out players like Sanju Samson, Ishan Kishan and Axar Patel following their success in the T20 World Cup.
While Rohit Sharma, Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul form the top-oder in the 50-over format, Samson and Ishan will also have their chances.
Ishan, who has a double century against Bangladesh in ODIs, played his last match during the 2023 ODI World Cup — versus Afghanistan in Delhi. Samson last played an ODI in South Africa in December 2023, smashing 108.
There is a school of thought that Samson could be a handful on the bouncy tracks of South Africa. Shreyas, though, hasn’t had much success on such surfaces and hence the urgency to keep Samson ready in the middle-order.
However, the all-rounder’s slot is under much scrutiny with Nitish Kumar Reddy and Ravindra Jadeja’s inconsistent performances. Harshit Rana remains in the selectors’ plans because of his ability to provide breakthroughs in the middle overs.
Axar and Washington Sundar could get a look-in because of their batting. Like in T20Is, the team wants to bat deep and hence having solid batters till No. 8 is being seen as a prerequisite for the group.
While it is unlikely there will be a change in the top-order unless any of the players suffer a drop in form in the lead-up to the October-November tournament in 2027, the likes of Samson and Yashasvi Jaiswal will be kept ready for any eventuality.
As of now, there is no plan to have Abhishek Sharma in the ODI set-up, but none is willing to make a commitment since there are still more than 18 months left. The next three months will provide a sneak peek into India’s plans as they want to shortlist the core group by the end of this year.